City Lights
by Shycadet
Summary: I had a simple life with simple desires. Waking up, going to work, making enough money to eat and go out, and going to sleep late just to have another early morning. I loved the way I lived, I never wanted it to change... (Tayuya pov)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N - **Whoa there... WHOA THERE. Now doesn't THIS place look familiar. I have this strange feeling like I've been here before.

And wasted hours upon years of my life on this one site. Oooh, how this feeling makes me ACHE.

BECAUSE MY EYES STILL BLEED FROM THE PAST.

Hello little ducklings, I have returned and OFFICIALLY survived boot camp.

Now enjoy this absolutely CHILD of a story idea I have twirling around in my mind.

And have patience, because I have returned with even LESS time to waste

**DISCLAIMER - I do not own Naruto- But I do own some Navy pride. HOOOYAHHH.**

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_Songs used for this chapter - _Lorde - Ribs (Ryan Hemsworth Remix)

I tugged at the straps of my book bag as I leaned forward and kicked, picking up the pace of my board as I glided across the sidewalk. It was dark, cold, and wet, making the normally enjoyable trip a bit of a downer. I should have made this trip hours ago, my bad judgment causing me to get caught by this dreary storm. With each water droplet that drizzled down from the faintly citylit sky, my coat managed to catch and absorb everything within grasp. The extra water weight was beginning to drag me down, but with the simple motivation of getting home and warming back up I let a chilled steamy breath slip past my lips, tugged at my hood, and kicked harder, allowing the pounding music from my headphones to drown out the shivering cries of my dying body heat.

Two blocks down, twenty more to go.

How I managed to get dragged out tonight, I'm not sure. It was probably the offer of pot, video games, snacks, and girls- which was entertaining while I was there at my friend's apartment- but seemingly worthless now as flickering lightening lit up the lonely city sidewalks I was rolling on. I should have controlled myself, declined my friend's taunting offer with that sweet smile of his, but I didn't. He needed a wing man, which was why I was invited; a friendly distraction for one of the girls' friend whilst he attempted to make his sly moves on the other. I didn't mind, the girl was really down to earth and cool to chill with, but all I could think about now was getting home, showering, and hopping into bed.

Kicking again, I shoved my hands in my pockets and ducked my head a little, hoping the wind wouldn't knock my hood back. Another block down, but I tried not to think about it. The music was soothing and my mind was trying so hard to fog over from the dying down high, but each tiring blink was retaliated with a jolting water droplet to my face. Unfortunately it seemed that I would feel every seconds of this depressing 20 minute ride, and I guess I deserved it.

Suddenly an unexpected cat lazily pranced in the middle of the sidewalk, effectively standing in the crosshairs of the burning path of my board. The sight of the animal sunk my heart, knowing I was going way to fast to simply slide to a stop. As I came closer, his yellow eyes darted to mine in surprise, but unbelievably he stood there in complete fright without any signs of moving.

"You're fucking kidding me," I cursed to myself in disbelief, quickly thinking of my options.

I could bite the bullet and jump off my board, effectively landing myself into a pile of wet garbage and cold steel trashcans; or I could trust my skills and swerve around the cat with no harm no foul- while hopefully reframing in slamming myself into one of many cars at the side of the road.

It was a split second decision to trust my skills and attempt to curve around the cat.

One that I made poorly obviously, because I ended up eating dirt the moment I shifted to turn…

I hit the ground a fraction of a second later, the whole right side of my body slamming against concrete. It didn't seem long until I was done skidding across the pavement and managed to settle down in a shallow puddle, pathetically laying there as the water slowly began to soak into my jeans and socks. And as I absorbed the water like some sort of human plant, I simply stayed there, the pain gradually running up from my legs to my hips and arms as my mind slowly registered each skin cell that made contact with the rough concrete. With each second the discomfort became unbearable pain, making it easier to simply lay still and reevaluate every life decision I have ever made in my whole entire life.

"What the fuck," I groaned in absolute misery, rolling to my side with my eyes shut tight. Wincing as my ribs throbbed, I cursed again and muttered, "Fuckkkk, I'm never boarding again. Fuck everything."

It was a lie, but it made me feel better.

Moments after the sentence passed my lips though, the sudden thought occurred to me.

"My board!" I said frantically as I shot up from the ground, eyes quickly scanning the area around me. It, along with the cat, were no to be seen.

"Oh my god, forget about your board. Are you ok?"

The secondary frantic voice caught me off guard, considering that it sounded as if it came from the stormy skies above. With a blink and a confused frown, I lifted my eyes to see a blond girl standing there, umbrella in her hand as she stared down at me worriedly. It was hard to make out her face completely, the shadow from the umbrella making it hard to study her features, but overall I didn't recognize her.

"Uh, yeah I'm fine," I stumbled out, curious as to where she had come from. Moments ago I could have sworn I was the only one up as the whole city slept, proof being in the fact that no one had been on the streets with me.

"Are you sure?" She pressed delicately, leaning down slightly with wide blue eyes. Her proximity began to make me uncomfortable, and a tad bit embarrassed I leaned away and replied, "Yeah no, I'm fine. Seriously."

She didn't look convinced, but it was humiliating enough to be caught bailing like some sort of scrub. Quickly I got to my feet, brushing off some the trash and leaves that managed to stick to me. Shortly after I leaned down to grab my headphones, which were completely damaged beyond compare. Sighing, I shook the water off of them and began looking for my board again.

"I saw what happened, poor kitten was scared to death," the girl commented as I stood there and scanned around me.

"Yeah, poor kitten," I mumbled sarcastically as I spotted my duster board, named Lucy, hidden under a car nearby. Absolutely relieved to see that she was still alive, I took a step to retrieve her, but ended up pausing midstride as a wincing sharp pain shot up my side.

"Hey idiot, don't move," I blinked at the command and glanced at the girl, who was giving me a glare as I stood there hugging my waist with one arm. Slightly confused about how hostile she was being, I opened my mouth and said unintelligently, "What?"

"I said don't move," she repeated, moving to get my board for me. I attempted to stop her, but she shot me another glare that stopped me midstride again. After assuring that I would stay put, she turned and continued towards the car my board was hidden under, then bending down shortly after, she picked it up awkwardly.

The way she held it made it seem like she was completely revolted by the piece of wood and wheels in her hand. Carefully keeping it away from her body, she quickly ran towards me in tip toe style and held it out to me between her well distanced fingers.

"Thanks," I said slowly, unsure what else I should say as she tossed Lucy on the ground like utter trash.

"You're welcome," she said in a matter of fact tone, as if it was some sort of privilege to be helped by her.

Unsure on what to do now, I began a bit slowly, "Well… I better get going."

"You can't be serious," she replied with a hard frown, "Where the hell do you expect to go in your condition?"

"Condition?" I repeated, again slightly confused. She simply stood there, expecting an answer. With my face twisting, I replied, "It was just a bad bail, no big deal."

"You're hurt," she pointed out in an obvious sort of tone.

"Not too bad though," I countered as I placed my foot on my board in proof. Leaning forward to balance myself, I moved to kick only to wince in pain and stop mid lift, "Ow, what the hell."

"See," she huffed out, not sounding at all worried now but simply trying to prove a point, "You can't skate like that."

"I need to get home," I informed, knowing it was obvious but wanting her to understand that I couldn't just stay outside all night in the way.

"But you can't skate," she argued.

Frowning, I pointed out, "Then how the hell am I supposed to get home?"

"Not by skating," she replied with an indifferent shrug.

Huffing in frustration, I tossed up my hands and caved, "Alright, fine, I won't skate. Guess I'll just walk the eighteen blocks I have left."

Giving me another frown, she muttered, "Well that's too far to walk."

Pratically on the verge of exploding, I kicked my board into my hand and snapped, "Yeah well fuck it, can't skate right?"

"Well no you can't," she agreed, but as soon as I moved to walk she quickly added, "But you can't walk either, you'll get sick."

"You've got to be kidding," I muttered to myself, grinding my teeth together in annoyance.

"Sickness is not a joke," she responded in a matter of fact tone, causing me to want to rip my hair out.

Who the hell was this creep of a girl, and why the hell was I bothering with entertaining her about this pointless bullshit anyway? The more time I spent going in circles with her, the longer it would take to get home. If anything, I wanted to shut her up just so I could get a block or two away before hopping on my board and smoothing my way back without this random ass crazy blond telling me what to do.

Attempting to pull it together long enough to simply end the conversation with the girl, I turned to her and began calmly, "Listen, I'll be fine. I just need to get home."

"Ok, so lets take the subway then."

Crazy thing is, it wasn't an offer. Actually, it was a direct order as she began taking my board from my hand as if to help me carry it.

"Hey hold the hell on," I cut in as I snatched my board away, "I don't want to ride the subway."

"And why not?" She asked, completely annoyed for reasons unknown.

Twisting my face, I informed, "I don't have the cash to spare at the moment, it's the whole reason I'm boarding to my place to begin with."

"Subways are cheap," she replied with a roll of her eyes, "You can spare it for tonight."

She was possibly right, but the way she was so controlling was annoying. So for the sake of just being difficult, I snapped, "No I can't, so let me just walk home."

"You'll get sick!" She stomped.

"How old are you?" I asked in absolute curiosity, "No better question, who the hell are you? I'm just trying to get back-."

"Home I know," she finished with a big roll of her eyes, "And I'm trying to help you get there, but you're being such a fucking adult child about this."

"That didn't answer any of my questions," I pointed out with a glare.

"Fine, then I'll pay for your taxi," she went on, completely ignoring me as she turned and stormed towards the dead street.

"Hey! No! You're not paying for _anything_," I shouted after her, limping to catch her as she angrily looked up and down the road.

"Shut up, stop being dumb," she snapped.

"You're the one being crazy!" I shouted back angrily, "Where the hell do you see a taxi at!?"

"It's the city, taxis are everywhere," she responded matter flatly.

"Not this late at night, sweet heart," I snorted with a roll of my eyes, "You must be new here."

"As a matter of fact, I am," she answered while turning to me with the cross of her arms.

I opened my mouth, eyebrows scrunching, but quickly brushed it off and went on, "Either way, unless you have a number to call a taxi then there is no way you'll be able to randomly grab one."

"Then give me a number," she demanded.

Unbelievable.

"I'm out of here," I said, finally coming to the conclusion that I was done being polite by entertaining this girl. Turning and giving a lazy wave, I made my way towards my place.

"God you're stubborn," she replied, following close behind me. Rolling my eyes, I ignored her- that was until I noticed that she continued to follow me down the sidewalk.

With a glare, I glanced at her and said, "Don't tell me you plan to-"

"Well how else am I supposed to sleep at night if I don't know you made it home safe?" She cut in with a glare of her own.

"You're fucking kidding me," I practically shouted with my hand tossing into the air, "Don't you think stalking me is a tad bit extreme?"

"I'm just making sure you get there-" She argued, but I quickly cut her off, "Safe! Yeah, I get it."

"So why are you making this so hard?"

Suddenly the whole conversation shifted. Up until now the girl had been demanding and bothersome with how she felt everything within reach was her god given right to rule, but the last question brought everything to a halt. Maybe it was how the question came out; as a bit of a pout as she shifted with the umbrella leaning against her shoulder, eyes wandering to the ground with a frown slowly pulling at her lips. In a split second, for some crazy odd reason, I considered the fact that maybe she _was_ worried and genuinely uneasy for my safety.

Maybe she honestly _couldn't_ live with herself allowing me to limp back home all alone.

Sighing, and feeling like an utter idiot, I set my jaw and forced out, "Alright… let's take the subway."

Her eyes darted to mine in surprise, and when she realized that I was very serious, her blue eyes brightened in delight. Smile splitting her face in absolute pleasure, she quickly came towards me and relieved me of my board- which I clung to for a moment before she gave one last hard tug to snatch it away from me. Stumbling back, she gave me a sweet smile as she hugged her arm around it, placing it against her slim hips in such a way that fit her perfectly. I watched her as she adjusted her umbrella and then uneasily allowed her to lead me into a very suspicious, very faintly lit, subway ladder well.

There we sat for an hour waiting on the subway, which till this day I believe was some sort of cleverly designed plot to merely trap me somewhere so I would have to listen to her infinite chatter about random nothings. And as we rode from tunnel to tunnel, the rattling metal tube melting away the twenty blocks that had just been looming over my head, she fell asleep. When it was near my stop I woke her up, and her genuine relief confused me as she smiled and hoped I would have a good night, but shortly after inquired if I would like to take down her number simply so I could text her that I did in fact make it home in one piece.

Unbelievably enough, whether it was some trick or spell, I found myself pulling out my cellphone and typing down her number; and a short twenty minutes later I found myself using it, informing her that I had in fact managed to limp myself back in a very wholesome piece.

The last I heard from her was her text message reply.

_Lol, thank god. Now crumble into your bed and try not to crash into anymore garbage cans._

It wasn't until days later that it hit me.

I never asked for her name.

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**Well then, theres that. What do you think? Been tossing it in my head for awhile now, hopefully it goes some place.**

**As for Girl Across the street, just omg give me a fucking second. Cuz like I read the whole story over and realized so much about it. Like, how much of a troll I am and how much I like to fuck with emotions, BECAUSE MY OWN EMOTIONS WERE FUCKED OVER IN THAT STORY WHEN I WAS READING IT AGAIN.**

**Anyway, yeah, hopefully I can come up with a way to go ahead and finish that up because I'm stuck and have a bad case of writer's block, as you can tell by the poorly written first chapter to this new story.**

**Some brief info just in case you were wondering, yes I went to boot camp. Yes it was hard- but not as hard as I thought it would be- and it was challenging- but nothing your Shy couldn't handle. I made LOADS of new friends, ones that I now consider family and ones that I miss alot seeing as a lot of them got sent to schools far away from where I am now; ANDDD it is official, I'm a mother fucking Sailor.**

**So for those who have a plan in mind and are uneasy on whether you should make it happen or not, just push past all the shit and do it. Nike. Because here I am now, part of the worlds finest Navy.**

**Read review, tell me what you think. Have I mentioned I fucking missed your faces. BECAUSE I FUCKING MISSED YOUR FACES.**

**UNNNNGHHHH, I LOVE YOU ALL. LOVE ME BACK.**

**Well, those who notice that I'm here anyway. **

**Shycadet issss back for who knows how long, loves yooohooohooo, out.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N - **I really want to push these chapters out so we can get to the good parts. I see a lot of potential to this story, scenes already playing out in my head that are giving me premature feels. But in order to get there, I need to lay out the foundation out.

And man, we all know that I hate building out foundations. Like it's always the hardest most boring part: the beginning.

**DISCLAIMER - I do not own Naruto.**

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_Songs used for this chapter - ODEZA - Without You_

I wandered towards the railing of my apartment's fire escape, looking down at my shitty view of the city with mild interest. Despite the fact that I always seemed to find myself in this position, leaning against the ledge with my elbows while smoking something I shouldn't be, nothing ever really changed. The same old building sat there, with the same old flickering street light and the same old car that never seemed to move from it's one parking spot.

Oh life in the big city, how adventurous it could be.

But I guess I wouldn't want it to be too adventurous, considering the location; I wasn't in the safest neighborhood.

Then, briefly, I caught a movement from the corner of my eye. Blinking, I leaned forward a bit and stared at the garbage can that sat just near entrance of a dim alleyway. For a second I almost brushed it off as paranoia, but then I saw it again.

The rustling of a few bags, and then some very bright green eyes.

"What the hell," I muttered to myself as I squinted and leaned even closer, "Is that the same…"

For an instant my eyes dropped down to the blunt between my fingers, wondering if I was sober enough to be thinking straight. For some strange reason, I could have sworn that was the same kitten I nearly killed myself trying to avoid a couple weeks back, but that couldn't be the same guy. The night I bailed on some very wet garbage I had been a good fifteen blocks away.

Scratching my head through my beanie, I settled back to my slouching position. No way in hell that cat could have wandered this far, I was probably just high and imagining things. Dragging in a quick breath of smoke, I sighed it out lazily and settled for aimlessly allowing my eyes to wander. A small pang of yearning churned in my stomach. I wanted to live somewhere in the city with a better view, the type of scene you saw in pictures on the internet; unfortunately until I gained enough money, and possibly a third job, I doubted I would be getting my wish any time soon.

"Oh well," I mumbled, speaking to no one in particular as I straightened and shoved my hand in my pocket, "Least I have this much."

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I dug it out before flicking in my password and reading the text message I got. Rolling my eyes, I tapped out my good time and headed inside. There goes a good day, straight down the fucking drain.

Did no one understand the definition of day off?

I began packing my book bag to get ready to head into work, but mere seconds after receiving the text message, my phone was ringing.

"Hello," I answered, phone pinned against my shoulder and ear as I continued to stuff things I would need into my bag.

"Yo, you get my text?" Kankuro asked from the other end, one of my coworkers.

"Yeah I got that shit," I snapped with a small glare at my headphones that were just tossed into the secured portion of my bag, "What the hell do you have going on that I need to come in on my _day off."_

"A guy has this huge ass back piece he wants," he explained, sounding about as tired and fed up as me, "It's going to take hours just getting the trace done, leaving us a man short." I shook my head in annoyance, and as if he could see me he apologized, "Sorry man, it'll only be for a few hours than you can head back home and be lazy all over again."

"Bull shit," I called as I moved to grab my board and shoes, "You know damn well I'm going to end up being there all night."

"Well if it helps you feel any better, there's supposed to be some cute girls scheduled tonight," he peace offered with a lace of deviance in his voice, "I happened to book her myself actually. She was _supposed_ to be my appointment, but you'll end up covering and I'm telling you her body is as easy on the eyes as her face. Killer plus, she's bringing her friend along."

My eyes narrowed, knowing he was merely attempting to make things less shitty, but not exactly trusting him enough to take the bait, "And you're just _so happening_ to pass these cute girls on to me?"

"Least I can do for calling you in, and I as much as it pains me, I really can't do her ink tonight," he paused, and then added, "Like that really _really_ pains me to say."

I paused, knowing it was a trap, but unable to help myself as I muttered, "Waist tattoo?"

"Try upper ribcage, she's going to be spread pretty much topless all night," as he spoke, I could literally hear his absolute frustration.

Smiling slightly, I pressed, "Blonde?"

"No, red head. And we both know how I love red heads," he replied before huffing and pushing forward, "Fuck it man, just hurry up alright? We're close to falling behind on appointments already."

"Alright alright, might be 20 minutes till I get there though. Can only board so fast," I caved while tying my shoes tight.

"Cool, thanks again."

"Fuck you," I replied before hanging up with a small smile.

I was just bitching to bitch, to be honest. Working at a tattoo shop wasn't much to complain about, actually it was hardly work. Dare I say, it was more fun without the long hours to even bother calling it a job? I guess it was a passion, with a happy addition of getting paid from those whose appreciated our beliefs of inking skin and expressing yourselves.

I had a couple of tattoos myself, idle imagination painted on my skin. There was an anchor on my right lower neck, an old sea ship with thunder clouds sailing on my left arm, music notes dancing around my wrist, and a heartbeat throbbing across my chest. They were few things I believed in; sea ships, anchors, and music. Besides all that, I had one eyebrow piercing just above my left eye.

Slapping on my watch, tugging on my beanie, and shrugging on my jacket, I snatched up my board and headed downstairs with my book bag slung over my shoulder. I greeted everyone I passed, getting to know them over the years I've stayed here in this apartment building. They greeted me in turn with a smile and wished me a safe night as I hopped on my board and rode away.

The ride to the tattoo shop wasn't bad, fair weather that was warm enough to leave my jacket at home, but I knew better. The city always liked to pitch me a curveball with its bipolar weather; better to be safe than sorry. When I strolled inside to clock in, the usual people were working tonight. I said what's up to them, but went straight to the back room to put my stuff up.

"What are you doing here, isn't it your day off?"

I glanced over my shoulder to see my best friend Kin. She was walking over with a yawn as she scratched her hair in a tired sort of way. Smile pulling slightly, I asked, "Were you just sleeping?"

"It was my break," she waved off as she brushed past me and sat in the chair in the break room, "Did Kiba call you in?"

"Yeah, some bull shit excuse about needing more people because he has a back piece he needs to get done," I grumbled in complaint as I stuffed my bag into the locker.

"He just wants to see your beautiful face," she replied as she crossed her legs and checked her nails, "But at least you're here, I won't be so bored anymore."

"What do you mean, Garra is out there. Isn't he your favorite," I teased.

"Not when he decides to go quiet mode and focuses on work," she complained with a huff, "I mean, what a total jerk."

"Oh yeah, fuck him right?" I mocked with a roll of my eyes, "How dare he? Like he's getting paid for this shit, fuck that guy."

"Exactly." She said simply before standing up and patting my shoulder, her fingers dragging across my neck in the most innocent way yet it caused my stomach to toss lightly, "Anyway, I'll see you out there; I think my appointment is coming in soon."

"Right," I said, covering my stumble smoothly, "Be right there."

When the door shut, I let out a breath and pulled off my beanie. I needed to get a grip, and fast. Pushing away all emotions, I focused on putting the rest of my stuff in the locker, including my jacket and shirt because it was far too warm to bother keeping on. Instead I walked out with just my tank top.

"Ayy, thanks for the help," Kiba called from his spot, looking as if he already started with the guy sitting in the chair backwards, "She should be here soon."

"Fuck you, man," I replied, a gruff chuckle coming from the bear guy Kiba was working on.

Pulling out my phone, I wandered back to Kin to see that she was getting some supplies for a girl she was about to work on. She was a cute female, long flowing white hair that was tossed into a messy bun with capture blue eyes. When the customer spotted me, I smiled and went game mode, "Hey, how are you doing?"

"Nervous, to be honest," she admitted meekly as she warily shifted in her chair.

"Nervous?" I mulled as I grabbed a chair and dragged it over. Sitting in it backwards, I propped my elbows on the frame and leaned forward, "Come on, coming in here was the hardest part."

"And witnessing all the power tools and needles isn't?" She asked.

Glancing over at the side tables that held all the equipment, I grinned and shrugged, "Alright, so that is a bit intimidating." She groaned, and I laughed, "Don't worry though. The girl who is doing your work is really good, it'll go by fast. What is your name?"

"Kakura," she answered.

"Well Kakura, what if I offered to hold your hand during the whole process, would that make it easier?" I asked with a smooth smile.

"In fact, that would only make it more nerve wrecking and would _not _help at all," Kakura replied mercilessly, "Plus I have a friend that should be here to do that. Ugh, she's always late."

I laughed, finding it attractive that she didn't even bother to lie. Kin came in shortly after, rolling her eyes as she sat down in her working chair, "Don't mind her, she tends to flirt with the first timers who are anxious."

"Oh you have me all figured out," I retorted with a roll of my own eyes, though she was right and I did have a thing for hitting on the girls who looked like they wanted to dart out of the shop. Directing my attention to Kakura, I stated, "It isn't true, by the way."

She gave me a smile, "Doesn't really matter, I don't walk down that road, ya know?"

"Ouch," Kankuro called from the background, "Shot down from a mile away."

"While I respect your life style, I question it," I replied to the girl with a lazy smile, "And I think we should discuss it over dinner actually, maybe tonight to celebrate your first brand?"

Shifting to hide her smile, a white bang fluttered down her forehead. Carefully pulling it behind her ear, she replied, "There isn't much to discuss."

"Trust me, I'll make conversation," I said, catching her eyes and holding on to them for a moment.

"Oh for the love of god, get out of here," Kin finally snapped while shooing me away, "I have to get to work."

I laughed as I stood, rubbing the back of my neck as I apologized. Then, glancing back to Kakura, I stated, "I'll be around, just in case you change your mind about the holding hands thing."

She laughed and rolled her eyes, "Thanks, I guess."

I gave her another smile before wandering off, growing slowly more bored by the second. Kankuro didn't mention what time frame the appointment I was supposed to be covering exactly landed, but I was semi confident that it was within the hour. Eventually I found myself talking to Gaara, who seemingly didn't mind creating conversation with me as he worked. The customer he had on the chair was friendly as well, engaging with us.

"So I told him, 'No, I won't do it for you. You need a friend to tell you when something is a bad idea, and this tattoo is a horrid idea.'," Gaara drawled as he carefully worked, eyes narrowed and focused.

"You didn't!" I choked out with a laugh, unable to believe that something so hilarious could be true.

"Yeah I did," Gaara replied in his same apathetic tone, "There is no reason for me to ink something I don't believe in."

"Amen to that," the guy in the chair agreed, glancing up at me with a grin shortly afterwards, "Good thing I got the approval, eh?"

I nodded with another laugh, "Obviously if there was something wrong with your brand, Gaara would have told you straight up."

"Yeah, but I like his," Gaara muttered as he carefully continued to stick the guy with the inking power tool, "Swallows are solid things to work with, and they represent something that actually _matters._"

"Swallows?" I asked with a questioning look at the guy in the chair.

"Navy thing," he answered simply with a smile.

I nodded an approval, and Gaara began talking about something else, but suddenly the front door opened with the cheap rigged bell clanging about loudly. I didn't pay it any mind, enjoying the conversation to even bother seeing if it was my appointment or not.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry I'm late!"

Blinking, I glanced behind me in confusion. I recognized that voice, heard it around some place, but when my eyes landed on the blonde girl hastily taking off her jacket as the door closed I realized that I couldn't stick a name to her pretty face, nor could I remember how I knew her. Yet, deep down in my foggy memory, I swore I saw her before.

She quickly brushed past me and rushed to, who I was guessing, her friend that was on the chair. Her friend happened to be Kakaru.

"Hold up a second," I mumbled distractedly as I watched the pair interact.

"-believe you," Kakura huffed out as I caught half of their argument, "You promised."

"I know!" The blonde squeaked out in the most apologetic way, "And I was on my way here, I swear it! But then-"

With her sentence cut short, she fell silent and shifted a bit nervously. Kakura caught on instantly, her eyes already narrowed with her arms crossed, "But then what? Go ahead, tell me."

"But..." The girl started again a bit slowly before shouting out with desperate pleading eyes, "But then there was a kitten-"

"I knew it," Kakura rolled her eyes, obviously fed up.

Kin, who had been sitting there watching the two of them, glanced at me with a questioning look. But I was too engrossed with attempting to figure out the mystery to return her a curious eyebrow.

"He was the smallest thing, Kura! I couldn't leave him out there in the cold!" The blonde attempted to explain to her fuming friend, "He had the most sad yellow eyes, the guy was starving to death. It was the second time I saw him! He looked skinner this time around!"

The stray with yellow eyes… It hit me then, like a ton of bricks, so hard and fast that I ended up blurting out, "You're that girl."

I didn't say it very loudly, and the statement danced into silence awkwardly afterwards, because when the two finally noticed my presence I didn't have anything to follow up on the sentence. I kind of just stared at her like she had three eyes, but that's because I couldn't believe the odds. Out of how many people that lived in this city, and she happened to wander into one of the hundred- probably thousands- tattoo shops.

"Um… do I know you?" The blonde asked with a bit of a frown.

She remembered the cat… but not the girl she harassed to death to hop into a cab at the dead of night?

I opened my mouth, but slowly began shaking my head. In disbelief, because it kinda hurt my ego that I was so forgettable, I said, "I saw you one night, a while back. I was riding on my board; there was a cat with yellow eyes. I tried to ride past him and I ended up…"

With the memory suddenly sparking to life in my mind, I realized how uncool it was to mention that I was the girl she saw bail into some wet garbage and trash cans.

"Don't tell me she saw you make a fool of yourself!" Kankuro's nosey ass came cutting in.

I turned and glared at him, unable to make a retort because Kin said closely after, "That's priceless. Miss act cool all the time was caught slamming on her ass?"

My glare switched to Kin.

"You!" The blonde shouted out with a point, almost like she was accusing me of something, "You're the one who almost murdered that poor kitten! That's probably why he's so small, you probably hurt it that day!"

Eyebrows together and suddenly annoyed, I snapped, "If anything, I was the one who was hurt that day! Going downhill on a board and slamming into some trashcans isn't exactly something I call a cushioning blow from the concrete."

"You guys know each other?" Kakura asked curiously.

"No," I replied simply.

"Yes," the blonde said at exactly the same time.

I gave her a glance, she continued to glare.

"So…" Kin began, looking up from her intriguing nails with a very bored expression, "Should we get started?"

"Yeah," Kakura answered with a tad bit of embarrassment as she gave Kin her arm, "I'm sorry we had to wait, she can never make it anywhere on time."

"Kura," The blonde whined as she rushed to her side, "I told you what happened, and I apologized!"

Just like that, I was suddenly invisible. No one cared that I was standing there, awkwardly watching silently. Annoyed about being brushed off so easily, I walked back towards Gaara to finish our conversation, but my appointment came through the door a mere second afterwards.

She was a cute red head, just as Kiba promised, but I hardly cared with my mind focused back on the weird pair of best friends that were in the corner at the other end of the shop. So I did my work quietly as the red head and her other blonde friend spoke to each other the entire time. I answered whenever spoken to, but otherwise idly thought of nothing while doing the job.

The red head left only a couple of hours later, her tattoo being small and easy to work with. Apparently I did an excellent job, because she seemed more than happy about her new ink and asked if she could get my number for future work. I gave it to her, and despite my sour mood, passed her a smooth smile and told her to call any time. The sexy smile she returned to me literally left me with a dull ache of regret that I didn't bother speaking to her more, but there was nothing to do about it. She left, saying she'll talk to me soon; and as her hips swayed and walked out of the door, I hoped to that was a promise.

An hour passed and I was just about to hop out of my chair to pack my shit and head to the back to make my journey on home when the other two girls came walking over. My eyes wandered to Kin, who was already packing up her tools, and I guessed that they were finished as well.

"Hey," Kakura caught my attention with a smile and display of her arm as her friend stood next to her, "I did it. Very first tattoo."

A smile pulled at my lips as I gave a short snort. My eyes caught the other girls', but she was still glaring, "Nice one, sport. Looks good on you."

"Thanks," she replied with a smile of her own, seeming pretty happy with her new body art. I sat there, watching her from my chair. The way she bit her lip was kinda cute, and I could tell she was a bit nervous about something. But, seconds later with this out of nowhere sexy smile, she asked, "So why don't you come out and celebrate with me and Ino? It's no dinner- actually just a rundown bar with some beer- but it's better than the pointless conversation we would have had over steak and salad."

Another laugh slipped past my lips as I countered, "You would like to think so, but until the night you dare to give me an hour at a table with just me and you..."

A blush spread her cheek, one that I noticed and had the pleasure of witnessing as she gave a laugh of her own. Yet even though I seemed to be entertaining Kakura, Ino- who I was guessing was the crazy blonde chick- didn't seem at all impressed. Actually, she seemed a bit agitated to be standing there listening to our conversation at all.

With my smile turn towards the grouch, I asked, "What about you? Mind if I tag along and drop back a couple of bottles?"

"Of course she doesn't," Kakura quickly covered, her eyes darting to Ino's with a small glare in her gaze.

Ino noticed but simply rolled her eyes and waved me off, "Yeah, sure, whatever."

Amused, I stood up and slipped my hands in my pocket, bending down to give Ino in particular a happy smile simply to piss her off for the satisfaction, "Then why don't you ladies just hold out here. Let me grab my things."

Ino's eyes narrowed and her lips turned thin, but Kakura smiled and nodded, "Alright, take your time."

Entertained and no longer agitated, I practically hummed to the back of the shop. Kin was already back there, phone in her hand as she texted and sat in the same chair I found her in when I first got here hours earlier. She didn't spare me a glance when I put on my jacket and tossed my bag over my shoulder. Actually, she barely even acknowledged me when I told her I'd see her later.

Just as I was about to move out the door though, I paused and asked, "Do you want to come to the bar with me and the girls out there? I doubt they'll mind you slipping out with us."

Finally, her eyes reached mine. They were cold, more than usual anyway, as she rolled her eyes and answered, "As if I really want to waste my time doing something like that."

"Harsh," I replied, but a smile pulled at my lips. She shrugged in returned, not looking at all remorseful. Sighing, I tugged at my beanie and offered, "I'll buy you the first three."

"Just go Tayuya," she said, her eyes wandering back to her phone.

Bummed, I did as I was told and met up back up with the females up front. Kakura was happy as we made our way to the door, but Ino seemed to have the same attitude as Kin and kept that attitude for the rest of the night.

* * *

(1) - I can not describe to you how much I love that song. It's one of my all time favorites. Just the beat, samples- man I just imagine that is what Tayuya rocks to in her head all day. If she had a song that played as she walked place to place, this would be it.

**Don't mind the title change. This whole fucking story is just under works lol. But Yup here is chapter two, hope its a bit interesting and peaks your interest. SO FUCKING HARD SETTING THINGS UP. Cuz its like I'm thinking about the future, and I want to hurry up and get there but then its like "Well first i need to LEAD it up to that point." and it's just UGH. **

**Which is why Monday Mornings was such a success. No fucking thoughts involved, just wrote.**

**ANYWAY. I love you guys, I hope life is treating you alright. I think about you all alot. I always toss and turn in my sleep when I know it'sbeen far too long that I've updated. No pressure, but if you give me some good feed back I might be able to push more out faster! Just give me your general thoughts so I can bounce some ideas off the wall based on your opinions.**

**So read. Review. Tell me what ya think. Shy will be out and about schoolin and being cool. **

**Loves. Out.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N - **Slowly getting somewhere with this.

**DISCLAIMER - I do not own Naruto**

* * *

I sipped on my beer, my mind wandering to places it shouldn't. Why I bothered caring about Kin half the time was beyond me, but I couldn't shake the guilt for leaving her in such a bad mood. Half of me wanted to text her; at the same time the smarter half thought better of it. She would only ignore me, there was no point in bumming myself out any more.

Besides, this Ino girl was trying her hardest to do all the work for me.

Every moment I wasn't looking, I felt her glare. And as hard as I tried to charm her- despite the fact that I didn't even know why I was attempting to get on her good side when she obviously hated my guts-she refused to allow me even gain the grace of her smile. Every conversation I struck with her was curt with nothing more of a grunt and a sip of beer by either me or her. It was ridiculous considering I didn't know what the hell she was so mad at me for; but fortunately it wasn't very awkward with Kakura around.

I had to admit, Kakura's smile lightened more than the atmosphere.

She was cute, in a very down to earth sort of way. When I made a joke, I couldn't help but notice the way she laughed genuinely; as if she honestly found me pretty amusing. And whenever I tossed a smile at her, she'd slip me this cute one that reached her eyes as she tucked her hair behind her ears.

Honestly the girl was gorgeous, but I was still trying to calculate if this bar tag along was her peaking in interest or just a friendly new meeting. Didn't think about it too much though, it was never really hard to convince a girl to broaden her horizon.

"We should probably get going soon," Kakura mentioned with a glance at her friend, "We want to be sober enough to get home."

I nodded, setting my bottle down. I didn't have very many, half because I want to spend too much and half because I appreciated smoking more than drinking in personal preference.

"Alright, I'm guessing your place is close?" I asked while digging out my wallet and placing down a couple of bills.

"Kind of," she answered slowly, watching me curiously.

"Then I'll walk you home," I offered while tossing my book bag over my shoulder and adjusting my beanie.

"You don't need to do that-" Kakura stumbled out, but Ino cut in, "We'll make it home fine, thanks."

My eyes glided to her, and with a small frown I seriously tried to figure out what the hell her problem was with me. Then, out of nowhere, a brilliant idea came into mind and a slow smile started to play at my lips, "But I insist. It's far too dark for you guys to be going home alone and how am I supposed to sleep at night wondering if you made it safely or not."

Instantly, the blonde narrowed her eyes. Kakura, on the other hand, gave me a flirting smile, "Wow, how long did it take you to come up with that one?"

"Not very long, seeing as it was used on me once before," I replied with a shrug and a smile of my own, carefully avoiding Ino's fuming gaze.

"Well maybe half way," Kakura mused to herself.

"No," Ino whispered rather loudly, "Really? Do you really trust her enough to know where you live?"

Kakura's eyes flicked to mine worriedly before she quickly looked away and snapped in short biting words, "It's only half way, you freak. Who cares?"

"We don't even know her!" Ino practically shouted in a hushed tone

"How is she possibly going to realize where I live by walking me half freaking way!" Kakura whisper yelled back.

"You guys are relatively loud at whispering," I commented, shrugging my book bag more comfortably and smiling when Ino's fiery gaze hit me with full heat. Kakura turned to apologized, but I waved her off, "Honestly, I'll be nervous knowing I left you guys walking alone not exactly sober. Quarter of the way would put me at ease."

"No," Ino cut in, giving Kakura a glare when she was given a look of absolute disbelief. Then, as if completely determined to beat me in some sort of unspoken game, she gave me a very steady look as she continued, "We'll make it fine. Ok?"

I held on to her stare with an amused smile curled at the corner of my lips. Then slowly blinking, I smiled even more and shrugged while dipping my head with my hands held up in surrender, "Alright, if you guys are absolutely sure, it's alright with me.

Kakura looked as if she wanted to protest, but I didn't bother waiting around for it. I doubted Ino would allow me to even hear Kakura's halfhearted argument and at this point I'm sure it was more trouble than it was worth to bother walking either of them home. Instead I headed towards the door, holding it open for them both.

"Thank you," Kakura mumbled a bit shyly, yet her smile was anything but.

Ino didn't bother even giving me a glance.

Sighing, I followed behind her and slowed to a standstill as we stood outside of the bar. Rubbing her arm, Kakura gave me a look and said slowly, "Well, we go this way."

Smiling, I gave a point towards the other direction, "Yeah, and I go this way."

"Thank god," Ino muttered to herself.

Kakura gave a wary glance towards her, but I didn't bother acknowledging it. Instead I smiled and said truthfully, "It was really nice meeting you, and the drinks were fun. Glad you didn't chicken out of the tattoo."

"Yeah," Kakura went along with a nod, laughing lightly, "But I was tough. At least I didn't need to hold your hand."

"Oh yeah, thank goodness for that," I teased with a slow smile. Then with my eyes wandering towards the hateful blonde, I added, "And it was nice to see you again- on better circumstances that is."

"Yeah," Was all she replied with her eyes slipping from mine as her arms crossed.

Shrugging apathetically, I turned back to Kakura and mentioned, "But since I can't walk you ladies home, at least give me a call to tell me you're home safe."

"And how am I supposed to do that without your number?" Kakura asked teasingly.

"Oh, is this you asking for my digits?" I asked in mock surprise, smiling while pulling out a pen, "Smooth move, I'll have to steal that from you."

"Oh whatever," she replied with a roll of her eyes. Still, she smiled softly as I handed her the piece of paper.

"Don't forget," I reminded while stuffing my pen back into my pocket, "I won't sleep without that phone call."

Ino was fuming, but Kakura seemed to enjoy my persistence. She nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but her blonde friend was now snatching her wrist and literally dragging her away, "Let's go, it's late."

Groaning, she rolled her eyes and turned to me while being led further down the street, "Bye!"

I held up my hand in a lazy wave before stuffing it into my pocket and twirling on one foot away. Just before I was about to drop my board to the ground, a nagging tug began pulling at the strings of my chest and mind. Frowning slightly, I glanced behind me and watched as the girls walked away. Before I could even control myself, I turned completely and called out, "Ay!"

Ino was the one to glance back first, Kakura very shortly afterwards. Dropping my board to the ground, I quickly hopped on and glided towards them. Leaning back, I braked to a noisy stop in front of them.

"Yeah?" Kakura asked with a curious little smirk.

My eyes instead landed on Ino, "That cat, the one with the yellow eyes. Where did you see him last?"

"What?" Ino asked with her face scrunching.

"The cat," I explained as I gathered the details from my memory, "The one that was small and you said it looked like it was starving."

"The kitten?" She corrected with an obvious frown.

I rolled my eyes, "If you ask me, that thing was too huge to be a kitten- but whatever. Yes the kitten, where did you see him last?"

"Why?" She questioned a bit defensively.

Giving a huge sigh, I asked, "What do you think I'm going to do, eat it?"

That was obviously a bad joke, because Ino gasped and Kakura quickly assured, "She was joking!"

What the hell was up with this girl? Eyebrows scrunching with my hands tossing up, I shook my head and said, "Of course I was joking! You honestly think I'm evil, don't you?"

She was about to answer but Kakura elbowed her not too lightly. Turning her blue angry eyes to Kakura, she gave a short glare before slipping her gaze back to me and snapping, "Doesn't matter what I think. Why do you need to know where the kitten is?"

"Because I want to find it and take it home," I answered truthfully, and that had officially shut her up. All night nothing could have stopped her from making every smart comment in the world, but I seemed to have finally stumped her. Completely surprised, she simply stared; but the truth was that I had surprised even myself. Not as smoothly as I would have liked, I explained in a bit of a stumble, "Maybe I clipped him with my board or something- hopefully I didn't but maybe I did. Idunno… If that's the case then it's my fault that he's hardly making it out there and the least I could do is keep it until it's healthy again. Or take it to the vet… but I heard vets were expensive…"

My words fell slowly as my eyes pulled away, wondering what exactly I planned on doing with a cat in the first place. I heard they were easy maintenance though, very chill creatures that just did their own thing most of the time. Having one shouldn't be too hard to take care of, right?

"The corner of Theodor and 22nd st," Ino finally spoke, this time with no venom or bite in her tone.

My eyes slipped up towards hers, and I noticed how all her features had changed. All I had managed to see of her was the annoyance and hatred for me, but it was like now she was a completely different person. She bit her lip in a nervously as her eyes trailed away, eyebrows scrunching like she was thinking about something in particular, but I couldn't have guessed what. Instead I was dazed on how someone could look completely difference just by the change of their attitude. That's all it took to remember the girl that I had met the first night, crazy and demanding that she walk me home. It was like I was recognizing her for the first time today.

And how cute she was.

"He was under a box and refused to come out when I came up to him, so I don't know if he'll come up to you," Ino went on explaining, shifting and giving me anxious eyes, "If you honestly plan on taking him home, you'll have to spend a lot of time and be really patient. If you bring food, don't bring anything too smelly that would attract other strays, then he should come up to you no matter how much he doesn't trust you because I'm sure he's starving. Something like milk could get him out. And if you reach out to pet him, don't go too fast or you'll scare him! Just… slow and underhanded- not over handed or he'll think you're going to hit him."

Overwhelmed with how much information I was getting, and how absolutely worried and serious she seemed, I huffed out, "That's a lot to take in."

"She tends to overload people," Kakura joked but Ino didn't care. She grabbed my hand and held out her other demanding, "Give me that pen."

Eyebrow rising, I didn't bother questioning her and dug out the pen she asked for. My eyes watched carefully as she wrote numbers down and stepped away, "Call me if you managed to get him home. Maybe we can find someone who will be willing to take him in after we get him better."

"Alright," I said slowly, pulling away my hand and giving the number a glance.

"If you end up bringing solid food to him, make sure you break it up small or he'll throw everything back up," Ino continued to inform me as she shoved the pen back in my hand, "And maybe you should bring a blanket, it would be easier to carry him home with. And keep him away from busy streets, the noise my cause him to jump out your hand and run away."

"Ino," Kakura called, as if trying to pull her back from whatever world she was on right now.

Ino waved her off, "And make sure you call me if you end up taking him home."

"I will, I promise," I assured, because she began to glare at me again as if threatening me if I didn't follow her absolute orders.

"Come on," Kakura huffed, this time grabbing Ino's hand and dragging her away, "Let's go home."

"Don't give him too much milk!" Ino continued inform as she was being taken away.

I smiled as I watched them go, not bothering with answering with anything. Instead I held out another hand in another lazy wave, and this time hopped on my board and rolled away without turning back.

Theodor and 22nd st, just as suspected that was too far from my place at all. This cat must be adventurous traveling so far.

Sounded like my type of dude to hang out with.

* * *

(1)- No song

**Alright, I believe this is the last chapter of setting everything up and we can finally get somewhere. Its hard dealing with WANTING to write more of this story because of all the ideas I have in mind, and not being able to because Im far too lazy to set up the story. BUT like I said, I believe this is it and now we should start getting into some actual substance.**

**Sorry for the Story Title change again. Im sooooo all over the place. I hope you all are doing well kiddies! I'm starting the next chapter right now as you read.**

**Shycadet STRUGGLES. Loves. Out.**


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